High Tide Fresh Hop IPA

Here is another picture. It's of Port Brewing's High Tide Fresh Hop IPA. From reading BeerAdvocate, this beer was released last fall, so here in late March, I am guessing its flavor profile may have mellowed. I thought it was very good, and if it had mellowed, it must have been fantastic last fall. I like fresh hoped IPAs. They have strong hop flavor but a lower alcohol level. This beer had an ABV of 6.5% that is lower than many IPAs.

(I took this picture with my iPhone. Getting the picture into Blogger is a nightmare as it always imports on its side. I had to duplicate the picture and save it to the desktop before importing it in order to get it to stand up straight. I need to experiment to get a higher quality photo and background.)

Anderson Valley Imperial IPA

I have never been a huge fan of Anderson Valley's beers. In general, I think they are OK, but will always choose another craft brewery when given the choice. This afternoon I picked up Anderson's twentieth anniversary Imperial IPA and drank it this evening. Quite a beer, to say the least. It does not jump up to my list of favorite double IPAs (Dorado, Ruination and Pure Hoppiness to name a few) but it has a magnificent flavor profile and is a superb beer. The label says it has twenty different hops and significant malts. It pours a deep amber with a rich head. The bitterness was there for sure, but the malt was at the forefront, too. To me, it tastes like Alesmith's Holiday Yulesmith, which is an imperial red ale. It sure was good. Much better than Pizza Port's Imperial Red Ale. It gives me new respect for Anderson Valley's beers.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is not known as a beer town, but the number of breweries is surprising. I was at a conference there this week and saw brews from Uinta, Squatters and Wasatch. (Squatters and Wasatch have common ownership.) Not too bad. To sell beer in a bar Utah law requires an alcohol level of 4% or less. Brewers make higher alcohol beer but not for consumption in a bar. I saw pale ales, pilsners, and the catch-all amber ales. I had a Uinta Cutthroat Pale in Delta's Crown Room. It was drinkable, but not memorable. I had a draft amber ale at a reception from an unspecified local brewer, and it was horrible and undrinkable. A Wasatch Devastator Double Bock in the bottle was good. It is an 8% double bock (a style I am not that familiar with) that was sweet, malty and refreshing. This is a drinkable beer that would be good with dessert.

Portland

I was in Portland (Oregon) last week and had a short time after some meetings to scout out restaurants for a longer trip to Oregon at the end of the month. I went into Henry's 12th Street Tavern, which was right across the street from where I had my all-day meeting, and had a taster of Hopworks Organic IPA and Double Mountain Hot Lava IPA. The Double Mountain was forgettable. The Hopworks had a great smell and great hop taste. Its color was pale and belied its hop presence. I thought it may need more balance but would need a full pint to pass definitive judgment. I would like to try the Hopworks again. Henry's is a beer bar and not appropriate for kids, so my stay was short.

I walked down to the Bridgeport Brewpub and Bakery at 1313 Northwest Marshall in the Pearl District. From what I had read Bridgeport's brewpub underwent an extensive remodel and recently reopened. What a cool place. It is family-friendly, too, with a kids' menu and a full menu that goes beyond the typical brewpub. This place does not mess around. I had a Bridgeport IPA and it was served in a 20 oz. pint glass with no discernible head - beautiful - the way all beers should be served. This is a mild IPA, but no wallflower. It is a flavorful, reserved beer in the English-style, not a West Coast hop-bomb. It was light orange and cloudy. It was a compelling beer that made you want to drink more. It has been a week and am looking forward to having another pint or two in a few weeks.

The Sculpin Experience

I had the Sculpin growler over a couple of nights. The first thing you notice is the smell. Hop aroma filled the kitchen when I opened the growler and poured the Sculpin into an English pint glass. The flavor matched the smell. A strong hop bitterness that was well balanced with malt. It is an excellent IPA and better than the Big Eye, which I enjoy. The aroma.....

Sclupin In the Fridge

I had to drop off tax information at my accountant's this morning and stopped by Ballast Point's Linda Vista brewery on my way home. I picked up a growler and two bombers of Sculpin. Dorado, Ballast Point's double IPA was still available in bombers. The guy working the tasting bar said that there are no short-term plans to brew Dorado, as its hops are being allocated to other beers due to the hop shortage. I hope to dip into the Sculpin growler tomorrow night. Ballast Point's standard IPA, Big Eye, was not ranked that high on a BeerAdvocate thread discussing San Diego IPAs. This surprised me as I like Big Eye and find it not only flavorful and balanced, but it has lower alcohol levels than other San Diego IPAs so one bomber doesn't end the evening. I am curious to compare Sculpin to Big Eye.

Ballast Point Sculpin

Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA is now available in draft form and in 22 oz bombers. This is a great IPA that makes one glad to live in San Diego. I think it is part of Ballast Point's Limited Release Robust Series. Sea Monster American Stout just finished its rotation, and Dorado is now limited release due to the hop shortage. I want to go to the brewery and get a growler fill and a couple of bombers. I have enjoyed Sculpin before and am a big fan of Ballast Point's regular IPA, Big Eye. I want to compare Sculpin and Big Eye to determine their differences.

Carnevale Ale - Damn Tasty

I shared the first Lost Abbey Carnevale tonight. It is flavorful but not overpowering. The first thing you notice is the smell - pure Belgian. It poured a cloudy gold with a nice white head. After the Carnevale we shared a Devotion. It had a lighter taste than the Carnvale and should have been drunk first. It was less cloudy and darker. Both are excellent beers and are great for savoring slowly. Carnevale is a limited release and should be sought out and purchased for enjoyment later in the year.

Carnevale Ale

The first installment of my Christmas present to myself arrived today - two bottles of Lost Abbey's Carnevale Ale. It is a new beer from Lost Abbey, brewed to celebrate the annual Carnival celebrations. Its label starts:

For centuries Venetians lightened the dark of winter with an elaborate upending of social order.

It goes on to say:

This beer is our tribute to that grand celebration of the unexpected. A Saison-style blond ale with American hops and... well, that's all you really need to know. Now put on your mask, raise your glass, and toast the magic of a winter's night mystery.

The beer is only 6.5% alcohol and is cloudy with heavy sediment. And this is just through the bottle. I will probably wait until next week to taste the first one.

Beer In Ventura

The Ventura area is a beer desert. There are a few breweries, but it is hard to find a store with a decent beer selection. I found one, the Wine Castle, off of the 101 and Telephone Road on Saturday night. It had a full selection of Stone, including XI Anniversary and Vertical Epic 07-07-07, and a full selection from Carpentria's Island Brewing Company. I picked up Santa Barbara's Telegraph Brewing's holiday beer - whoa - chocolate, chilies and other spices. I even thought I smelled bananas. It was a very complex beer and the only offering from Telegraph at the store. The store also had a wide selection Belgian beers.

Hop Shortage

The San Diego Union had a front page article on Friday, February 1, about the hop shortage and what it is doing to the beer industry. It said that beer prices were set to rise as early as today, February 4th, so I went to Ballast Point on Saturday to beat the increases. The guy working the register said he had not heard about the increases and said they would not be increasing for beers purchased at the brewery. That's good news. The article also said that Ballast Point was no longer bottling its super-hopped Dorado double IPA. I bought two bottles at the brewery to being my total to three that I hope gets me through the hop shortage.

Hop Trip

I had the Hop Trip. It was good and tasted fresh. I did not get the wave of hop smells that others have described, but it was still flavorful. It did not have the heavy hop bitterness of an IPA, nor the high alcohol.